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James Jones

@jljones0618.bsky.social
368 followers 213 following 1.5K posts

A presence inside the Beltway since the Kennedy administration. Former multimedia guy for the FEC now retired. Varied interests in politics, art, American history, cinema, whiskey, the Oxford comma, and comedy. Living as a disciple of experience.

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James Jones @jljones0618.bsky.social · 2h
What got my attention at the Nat’l Comedy Center was the way George Carlin migrated from long hand to word processing. Faster? He still appears to make final changes by hand. I wonder if the shift was connected in any way to his publishing projects?
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James Jones @jljones0618.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
www.nytimes.com/shared/v1/mi...
nytimes.com
Play The Midi Crossword
All the fun of the larger New York Times Crossword, but you can solve it in seconds.
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James Jones @jljones0618.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Rep. Moore is either stunningly ignorant or shockingly cynical. Does he actually believe that his patently and provably false words are true or does he think that his constituents are stupid enough to believe whatever he tells them? Either way, he can’t possibly be the best choice from his district.
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James Jones @jljones0618.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Wordle 1,932 5/6 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬛⬛🟩⬛⬛ ⬛⬛🟩⬛🟩 🟩⬛🟩⬛🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
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James Jones @jljones0618.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
I have no idea whether Alexei Navaldy had ever heard of the @capitals.bsky.social but I know that he loved his country, Russia. I wonder if Alex Ovechkin would agree?
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James Jones @jljones0618.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
I can't be the only person who thinks Ravel's Bolero is a ponderous exercise in pointless repetition that at 16 minutes in length runs about 15 too long.
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James Jones @jljones0618.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
I discovered the refined joys of afternoon tea while traveling through the UK this past spring. Quite the jump from my 1970s punk youth. youtu.be/kfaM1u1rcWk?...
youtu.be
A Day Making England’s Oldest Afternoon Tea | On The Line | Bon Appétit
YouTube video by Bon Appétit
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James Jones @jljones0618.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
The good professor always hosts an entertaining evening. Cox is adept at making complex scientific concepts accessible to a general audience without dumbing them down too much.
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James Jones @jljones0618.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
For me, there’s nothing in sports broadcasting more welcome than hearing Bob Costas covering baseball in the fall on #NBC. #MLB
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James Jones @jljones0618.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Today’s new book haul.
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James Jones @jljones0618.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
I wear my cultural snobbery like a badge of honor. I’ve only seen 13 of the 100 Best TV Shows of the 21st Century www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
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James Jones @jljones0618.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
www.nytimes.com/shared/v1/mi...
nytimes.com
Play The Midi Crossword
All the fun of the larger New York Times Crossword, but you can solve it in seconds.
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James Jones @jljones0618.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
We all must live with the consequences of our actions. Even great athletes. The greatest atrocities in history were committed by those who claimed to "love their country", so that claim by Ovechkin isn't quite the defence he thinks it to be. thehockeynews.com/news/latest-...
thehockeynews.com
Opinion: Ovechkin's Political Actions Have Tainted His NHL Legacy
Washington Capitals star Alexander Ovechkin's endorsement of Russian President Vladimir Putin makes him fair game for public criticism.
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James Jones @jljones0618.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
A great day for the Colonial Fair at George Washington’s Mount Vernon.
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James Jones @jljones0618.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
“The US is in retreat. It is watching bases of great strategic importance get destroyed and cannot protect them, it is abandoning allies that heretofore it considered of the highest priority,…(1)
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James Jones @jljones0618.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
I’ve been a Washington Capitals fan since 1975 but must reluctantly suspend it this morning with the news that its team captain Alex Ovechkin appears in a new ad for Putin’s United Russia party, standing shoulder to shoulder with lead propagandist Margarita Simonyan. While Ovi skates, I’m out.
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James Jones @jljones0618.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Trump Says a Smart President Is All That’s Needed to Rein In AI. If only we had one… www.nytimes.com/2026/09/14/u...
nytimes.com
Trump Rejects Talk of A.I. Regulation and Calls Out Anthropic’s CEO (Gift Article)
The president again rejected calls to try to regulate the industry, even as some of its leaders are speaking more openly about the risks of rapidly developing artificial intelligence.
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James Jones @jljones0618.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Some idiot elected official took a massive orange dump in my car and we had to quickly evacuate it because of the stench. Now the mechanic claims that the car will need to be abandoned unless we let that guy back into the car to keep dumping in it. www.washingtonpost.com/style/2026/0...
washingtonpost.com
Kennedy Center could close as early as Tuesday, warns of bankruptcy, documents show
Officials said the center is facing “certain fiscal collapse” within weeks, insist that adding President Donald Trump’s name may be the only way to avoid bankruptcy.
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James Jones @jljones0618.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
www.nytimes.com/shared/v2/mi...
nytimes.com
Play The Mini Crossword
All the fun of the larger New York Times Crossword, but you can solve it in seconds.
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James Jones @jljones0618.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
I’ve watched the Hamilton film dozens of times and I always weep at the same spots. Washington going home. Philip’s death. Forgiveness. The orphanage and Eliza’s final awareness.
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James Jones @jljones0618.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
I solved the 9/13/2026 New York Times Mini Crossword in 0:47!
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James Jones @jljones0618.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
#wordle
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James Jones @jljones0618.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
25 yrs ago I was in my downtown DC office across from the FBI bldg watching TV coverage of the first WTC crash when the second plane hit. I remember saying “this is Pearl Harbor”. The next three hours are a blur: agency closed & evacuated, sitting in K St. traffic while F-16s flew above us. #911
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James Jones @jljones0618.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
With all due respect to Apple, every iPhone has been and continues to be foldable. I’ve folded two myself.
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Reposted by James Jones
The Washington Sun @washingtonsun.com · 09/09/2026
Welcome to The Washington Sun. washingtonsun.com
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James Jones @jljones0618.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
My latest reading has arrived. Very excited to crack this classic by one of our great constitutional historians.
My left hand holding the 1985 book Novus Ordo Seclorum: The Intellectual Origins of the Constitution by the late Forrest McDonald.
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James Jones @jljones0618.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
If anyone is ever tempted to hire a graphics pro off of a site like Fivver, let me encourage you not to. I scrolled thru the listings of freelancers and it's rather frightening. No credentials, no evidence of training at all. Just amateurs probably using AI. The strongest of passes.
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James Jones @jljones0618.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
I solved the 9/08/2026 New York Times Mini Crossword in 0:33!
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James Jones @jljones0618.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
I do not have a studio, I have a studiolo.
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James Jones @jljones0618.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
We spent our 28th wedding anniversary today at the Nat’l Gallery of Art. The early galleries are always full of oddities. Here are some of my favs (check the alt text). #NGA #art
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James Jones @jljones0618.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
In the NGA Atrium is the famous Mercury fountain currently backed by Digital Waves, a video installation by Clifford Ross. #NGA #art
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James Jones @jljones0618.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
I don’t see the value in Letterboxd but then I’ve never been particularly self-absorbed. No one cares what films I’ve seen or my top-five all-time, nor should they. Further, why should anyone care about anyone’s? This account is my only social media, and for good reason as most platforms distort.
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James Jones @jljones0618.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
I solved the 9/03/2026 New York Times Midi Crossword in 1:56!
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James Jones @jljones0618.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
For those who missed it, here’s my highlight reel from the Beltane Fire Festival in Edinburgh back in April. Just hours earlier, I was in Usher Hall listening to the Scottish Chamber Orchestra perform Mozart’s Requiem. Quite the evening. #Edinburgh #beltane
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James Jones @jljones0618.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
I solved the 9/02/2026 New York Times Mini Crossword in 1:07!
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James Jones @jljones0618.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
A great example of why my congressman (Don Beyer) is better than yours.
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James Jones @jljones0618.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
I encourage all of my followers to read this opinion piece by Prof. MacMillan, whose writing has been integral in my education on world history. I always follow the omens. In this piece, MacMillian agrees. A New World Order Is Coming. We Aren’t Ready. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/01/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | A New World Order Is Coming. We Aren’t Ready. (Gift Article)
We must be honest about the seriousness of the situation we’re in.
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James Jones @jljones0618.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
I solved the 9/01/2026 New York Times Midi Crossword in 4:47!
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James Jones @jljones0618.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
I considered joining the Hirshhorn Regional Council until I discovered that the benefits are very NYC-specific. Look, I get that NYC has a larger arts community than DC but the Hirshhorn and I are in DC, not NYC. So my money goes elsewhere, sadly. hirshhorn.si.edu/support/coll...
hirshhorn.si.edu
Hirshhorn Collectors' Council - Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden | Smithsonian
The Hirshhorn Museum Collectors’ Council offers insider access to the contemporary art world through exclusive events and opportunities to see collections, meet artists, and learn more about contempor...
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James Jones @jljones0618.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
The Oak King as he appears on the upper part of my right arm. His power is now diminishing, and in three weeks the Holly King will awaken and take us into Autumn. #greenman
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James Jones @jljones0618.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
www.nytimes.com/shared/v1/mi...
nytimes.com
Play The Midi Crossword
All the fun of the larger New York Times Crossword, but you can solve it in seconds.
000
James Jones @jljones0618.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
I welcome Ms. Crouse as the latest refugee from one of the more pernicious American mindsets: the pride of social competition. Living the good life does not require it. Men Are Onto Something. Quitting Is Great. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/30/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | Women Don’t Quit. We Should. (Gift Article)
Women are eager disciples of the “Never give up” dogma. But if we treat persevering and quitting as opposites, we lose.
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James Jones @jljones0618.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
www.nytimes.com/shared/v1/mi...
nytimes.com
Play The Midi Crossword
All the fun of the larger New York Times Crossword, but you can solve it in seconds.
000
James Jones @jljones0618.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
www.nytimes.com/badges/games...
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James Jones @jljones0618.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
I’m saddened that the Kennedy Center remains radioactive but thrilled that the NSO brings composer John Adams to GMU in my neighborhood October 15 to conduct his work Scheherazade 2.0. Noseda conducts the original there two weeks prior. Happy Happy Joy Joy! cvpa.calendar.gmu.edu/national-sym...
cvpa.calendar.gmu.edu
MASON ARTS EVENT CALENDAR
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James Jones @jljones0618.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
I solved the 8/27/2026 New York Times Midi Crossword in 4:43!
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James Jones @jljones0618.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
I solved the 8/27/2026 New York Times Mini Crossword in 1:23!
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James Jones @jljones0618.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
www.nytimes.com/shared/v1/mi...
nytimes.com
Play The Midi Crossword
All the fun of the larger New York Times Crossword, but you can solve it in seconds.
000
James Jones @jljones0618.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
I have no idea who or what a Hasan Piker is. The word "piker" is generally used to denote someone who's a cheapskate and a scoundrel. Thus, I'm quite happy in this particular ignorance.
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James Jones @jljones0618.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
I loved Dolly Parton for many reasons but particularly because she came from a family with zero advantages. Everyone today under 60 who’s famous seems to have parents who were either famous or highly educated. This is especially true in comedy. Dolly was one of the last come-from-nothing stars.
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